Welcome back to town

Published: Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 10:08 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 10:08 p.m.

If you see hundreds of athletic-looking young men at and around Nicholls State’s campus over the next several days, there is a good explanation.

The Manning Passing Academy, one of the elite training sessions for high school football players, is being held at Nicholls State.

The academy features former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning and his sons, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and older brother Cooper Manning.

The Mannings have returned for the eighth consecutive camp in Thibodaux, a yearly tradition that has been a great thing for the academy, for the thousands of young athletes who have gone through it and the for the local community, which shares in so much of the excitement the camp brings.

For the parents of serious high school athletes, the camp offers an excellent place where they can get some extra training over the summer right here close to home.

For even casual football fans, the camp brings to town a chance to see some of the best-known players around the nation.

At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nicholls State will host the Wheaties Air-it-Out Iberia Bank QB Challenge, which will show off the talents of many of the college and professional quarterbacks who are taking part in the camp as instructors.

For Nicholls State, the benefits can be enormous.

The exposure to all these talented, young players — where they get a real chance to see the facilities at Nicholls and the communities that surround it — is priceless.

Then there is the financial significance. The hundreds of young athletes mean hundreds of family members, many of whom stay in and around Thibodaux and Houma, eating in local restaurants and checking out local attractions.

More than anything, though, it is a chance to celebrate real football skill in a family that has shown a true desire to use that skill to help younger athletes as well as the state that did so much to help them in their careers.

Welcome to everything the Manning Passing Academy means for our area, and welcome to the hundreds of youngsters for whom the camp can be an integral part of their athletic growth.

<p>If you see hundreds of athletic-looking young men at and around Nicholls State's campus over the next several days, there is a good explanation.</p><p>The Manning Passing Academy, one of the elite training sessions for high school football players, is being held at Nicholls State.</p><p>The academy features former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning and his sons, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and older brother Cooper Manning.</p><p>The Mannings have returned for the eighth consecutive camp in Thibodaux, a yearly tradition that has been a great thing for the academy, for the thousands of young athletes who have gone through it and the for the local community, which shares in so much of the excitement the camp brings.</p><p>For the parents of serious high school athletes, the camp offers an excellent place where they can get some extra training over the summer right here close to home.</p><p>For even casual football fans, the camp brings to town a chance to see some of the best-known players around the nation.</p><p>At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nicholls State will host the Wheaties Air-it-Out Iberia Bank QB Challenge, which will show off the talents of many of the college and professional quarterbacks who are taking part in the camp as instructors.</p><p>For Nicholls State, the benefits can be enormous.</p><p>The exposure to all these talented, young players — where they get a real chance to see the facilities at Nicholls and the communities that surround it — is priceless.</p><p>Then there is the financial significance. The hundreds of young athletes mean hundreds of family members, many of whom stay in and around Thibodaux and Houma, eating in local restaurants and checking out local attractions.</p><p>More than anything, though, it is a chance to celebrate real football skill in a family that has shown a true desire to use that skill to help younger athletes as well as the state that did so much to help them in their careers.</p><p>Welcome to everything the Manning Passing Academy means for our area, and welcome to the hundreds of youngsters for whom the camp can be an integral part of their athletic growth.</p><p>Enjoy your time here, and don't forget to come back next year!</p><p>Editorials represent the opinions of</p><p>the newspaper, not of any individual.</p>